DIY Braided Chain & Embroidery Thread and Nylon Cord Necklace

As soon as I saw this necklace here on Shopbop.com, I fell in love. I realized I needed to make a tutorial as soon as possible as soon as I saw the price. Read on to see how to make your own!

$84.00 at Shopbop.com





Supplies:
- embroidery thread in at least 3 different colors
- nylon cord or mouse tail cord (the one above is rainbow)
- small chain
- jewelry pliers or needle nose pliers
- jump rings (bigger ones that you can get all the thread through)
- clasp of some kind
- super glue

Directions:

1. first you need to make a very long braid twice as long as you want your necklace to be. make this braid a little longer because you can always cut excess off. use whatever 3 colors you wish. the above necklace is made with a braid of blue, yellow, and black. be original and make yours unique :) make sure to tie the ends securely. use a dab of super glue inside the tie for extra hold.

2. decide how many chains you want. the one above has about 3-4 very small chains side by side then doubled (which makes it appear to be 6-8 chains thick). you could make yours smaller if you don't want as much of a chunky braid.

3. attach a big jump ring to the clasp. put your chains through the jump ring so the there is equal chain on both sides and it rests on the jump ring in the middle. put the strands together and you should now have a doubled strand.

4. do the same thing as above in the same jump ring with your braided embroidery thread.

5. using the middle of the embroidery thread that is in the jump ring, put the nylon thread through that and make it even in the middle and then put the 2 strands together so it's doubled (like the last picture above).

6. now braid your chain, cord, and thread like you would normally. do this carefully so it's all even and nothing bunches up. this is a very thick braid.

7. Finishing the braid: As you are about to finish your braid, slip both the embroidery braids through the other (ending) jump ring. then tie the nylon cord around the braid right above the jump ring. then tie around the chain right next to where you tied the braid. use the above last picture for reference (the left side). tie off the nylon cord and use super glue to secure the knot if you think it'll come loose.

8. let the ends of the braids hang free (like the above necklace) or you can cut them off if you don't like that look. be creative :)

Make it yours, make it unique, make it awesome, make it chic. 

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DIY Mimco Sport Luxe Choker Necklace

I saw this necklace over at Refinery 29 and I almost died. Such a rockin necklace with 2 of my favorite things mixed into one: Zippers & Chain!









Head on over to House of Fraser to buy this beauty for £69.00 then £34.00 and now on sale for £27.20

or read down for a super simple DIY!

Supplies
1. medium sized chunky chain
2. 2 pairs of pliers (preferably needle nose/jewelry pliers)
3. chunky silver zipper with black cloth under it (you could get a zipper with a neon or colorful undercloth for a fun look as well!) buy a fairly long one so you don't run out.
4. sharp and thread to match the undercloth
5. E6000 glue
6. something to mark with (safety pins work great)
7. a safety hook in simliar metal color to chain (or w/e you feel comfortable using as a closure for your necklace)

Directions
1. measure your neck with the chain and mark the chain with a safety pin. you want this as a choker but not so tight. remember to count for the safety hook. you can always add or remove chain links individually.
2. where you clipped the safety pin, use your pliers to bend the link apart at the joint.
3. get your zipper and make sure it is zipped up. loop one end through one of the links and attach the end under on the wrong size of the zipper with E6000 (just a little bit for extra hold), then hand sew neatly for even more stability.
4. weave the zipper in and out of the links, careful not to twist the zipper. when you get to the end of the links, snip off the extra leaving enough to do the same thing you did with the beginning step, loop under, glue, then hand sew.
5. attach each link through each side of the safety hook.
BOOM DONE! STATEMENT CHOKER NECKLACE

if you have any questions or need clarification, just leave a comment and I'll get back to you asap!
i hope to have a real picture tutorial very soon for all of you! i've had a super busy few weeks!

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DIY Chain Pocket Jeans

Again with the constant need to have random chains and old necklaces laying around! haha

1. Cut off the pocket of a pair of jeans you're willing to do it to.
2. start at the top of where the pocket used to be. String chain from one side to another. make 2 little holes (for the chain to attach to) on each side. Attach the chain with jewelry pliers or small needle nose pliers.
3. continue doing this all the way down using less and less chain to match the shape of where the pocket used to be.
4. make sure you don't leave the chain too tight. if you put them on and your butt stretches out the back too much your chain could look weird or even break. -> to prevent this, after the first couple of chains, put the jeans on and see how it looks on your butt. you could have them perfectly taut, or you could have them hanging a little loose. i prefer the hanging slightly loose look. :)

Good luck!








Courtesy of 80spurple

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DIY Chain Detail Doc Martens

Yet another fabulous DIY idea for all those extra chains and old necklaces most of us have laying around. If you don't have any laying around. Hit up your local thrift store. I assure you, there's plenty and usually on the cheap side! you're not wearing this on your skin so it can be the cheap stuff :)

grab those chains and make 2 short-ish necklaces with them. make them look grungy and messy. the thrown together look.

Attach them to the top holes in your combats or docs :)





Courtesy of skeletonsoup

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DIY Chain Laces

This is a fab idea and so simple!
Lets say that you don't have the big loops that the shoes below have. Add some bigger rings (like keychain rings) through the smaller lace holes so you can lace chain through it. If you want the tightness of the laces plus the chain look, then keep the laces and add the rings over the laces.

Use a bunch of different types of chains. Possibly a combo of gold and silver? It depends on what type of look you are going for!

Good luck!





Courtesy of studdedhearts

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DIY Hand Chain

Thanks to Elenita for this great idea. I thought I'd share it. :)

Just take apart a plain old chain necklace and use some jump rings to attach/create the design.





Courtesy of: elenita

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DIY Chain Fringe Chanel Bag

This is one of those that would take a while, but it'd be so worth it!

What you'll need:
1) Old plane leather purse.
2) A heck of a lot of jump rings.
3) Small scissors or x-acto knife (which works best).
4) Jewelry pliers or regular needle nose pliers.
5) A lot of chain! It can be chunky or tiny depending on the look you wish to achieve.
6) Time.

Just go around all the edges and cut evenly spaced little holes for the jump rings and then attach a jump ring and the amount of chain at the same time, then close the jump ring. It's a simple process, it just will take some time to achieve this full fringed look!



Courtesy of: knighttcat

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DIY Fringe Jersey Chain Necklace

Simple and fairly inexpensive DIY.

take some chain then weave a skinny piece of fabric through it. You could do this with silver or gold chain and use any type of fabric you want. This DIY is very customizable. You could make one that goes with pretty much everything, or you could make a statement piece. I'd advise to not use fabric that frays easily (like satin) unless you are going for that look. You could also just use ribbon as well.

THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS

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DIY Removable Shoe Jewelry

There are tons of shoes you can buy with studs and chains on them, but if you're like me, you like a shoe with an investment. I'm more likely to wear a shoe I can wear with almost anything, than one I can wear only with certain outfits. So what's a girl to do? Well, how about investing in a plain shoe, and DIYing your own removable shoe jewelry!?

Chain + lobster clasp + jump rings = crazy awesome custom trend.

Mix and match chain types and colors to create a look that suits you and your outfit!

I'm going to work on an anklet one for my heels. I love the chain look added to pretty much anything. I will gladly document my DIY process for you lovely readers :)



Courtesy of: chicintuition

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DIY Chain Crossbody

I really think I might add this to my list of things that I personally need to DIY. Crossbody purses are becoming a huge thing. I just lack the funds to buy a pre-chained one like this! But I love the idea of adding hardware to a simple leather (or faux leather/cheaper) cross body.

Find a cheap cross body that you'd be willing to add chain to yourself!
You could add it to both sides, or just one side.
Just grab some chain, some little jump rings, a pair of jewelry pliers and an x-acto knife. Poke little holes for the jump rings where you want the chain to stop and start in the leather/fabric. Add the chain and close the jump ring!
Chunky gold chain seems to be really in lately so if you're not afraid of gold, go for it!



Courtesy of: chicintuition

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